Hand out photo of teen hockey player Devon Faye, who had his neck slashed during a hockey game, got a visit from former NHL goalie Clint Malarchuk, who dealt with his own high profile throat slashing during a game. Tuesday January 17, 2012.

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But the negative can bring depression and nightmares — waking up in a cold sweat with images of razor-sharp skate blades haunting your dreams.

That’s what left former Buffalo Sabres’ goalie Clint Malarchuk an emotional wreck after surviving one of the NHL’s most infamous on-ice injuries, when his carotid artery was slashed by a skate in 1989.

And that’s exactly why the current Calgary Flames goaltending coach didn’t hesitate when he heard about 15-year-old Devon Faye, who suffered a similar slash to his throat during a midget hockey game in Airdrie.

“When it happened to me, I cowboyed up and went right back to playing, only to find out later how much the trauma impacted me and sent my life into a spiral,” said Malarchuk.

“I didn’t want this kid to go through everything I went through alone.”

Devon, who was injured on Jan. 7, won’t have to. After hearing about the familiar mishap, Malarchuk took the initiative and contacted the Okotoks teen’s parents, telling them he’d like to meet their son.

And so it was arranged, and last week, a stitched-up Devon was at rink side during a Flames practice, later meeting the players and coaches.

“When I met him, I was joking and said, ‘so which one is the zipperneck?’” laughed Malarchuk.

“I told him he can expect it all — they called me zipperneck and Frankenstein.”

And along with caution about rough days to come, Malarchuk told the teen there’s a bright side to nearly losing your life to a skate blade — besides the litany of new nicknames.

“I told him, ‘chicks dig scars — this is actually a bit of a blessing,’” said the coach.

“You have to have humour about it. It’s a good thing while you take care of the trauma part.”

It was during a game on March 22, 1989, when the image of Malarchuk clutching his gashed throat was burned into NHL legend — the growing stain of dark blood under his knees horrifying the entire league.

It looked like a typical play when Steve Tuttle of the St. Louis Blues and Uwe Krupp of the Sabres collided and crashed into Malarchuk’s goal, but Tuttle’s skate somehow caught Malarchuk on the throat.

The talented goalie has been interviewed many times about the desperate minutes that followed, where he asked for a priest and sent a message to his mom, saying he loved her.

As sure as Malarchuk was that he was going to die, a team trainer who was a former army medic saved his life, pinching the broken artery until doctors could stem the bleeding.

But 300 stitches couldn’t save Malarchuk’s career, which gradually fell apart in a haze of depression and alcoholism, which the goalie coach blames on trauma.

“I had nightmares after — I didn’t understand how deeply it had affected me,” said Malarchuk.

The support of the famous goalie has been welcomed by Devon and his family.

Like Malarchuk, it was an errant skate which opened Devon’s neck as he fought for the puck.

“It severed his sternocleidomastoid muscle and his jugular vein, and came within a millimetre or so of his carotid artery,” said Jeff Faye, Devon’s father.

“We don’t know, but he might not be here if that had happened.”

His son came off the ice at the midget hockey game in Airdrie not looking too bad, at least as far as his dad could see from the stands.

But in the dressing room, as a coach showed him the t10-cm gash behind a towel held to the boy’s neck, the father’s concern went from mild worry to serious concern.

“It was unbelievable — I couldn’t believe my son was so badly hurt,” said Faye.

The Okotoks Midget 3 Oilers player, who was wearing a neck guard, was rushed to hospital by ambulance where he underwent a 90-minute surgery to repair the damage.

Now at home and recovering, Faye said the kindness of the Flames coach was a big morale booster for Devon, who is out for the season.

“Clint called my wife and said he’d like to meet Devon, and so they did meet,” said Faye.

“He talked to Devon and gave him advice about working out — he basically just chatted with him, and told him he wasn’t alone.”